


Braid

by FuneralOfTheDeadButterflies



Category: Lobotomy Corporation (Video Game)
Genre: Implied/Referenced Drug Use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-19
Updated: 2018-01-19
Packaged: 2019-03-06 17:39:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13416270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FuneralOfTheDeadButterflies/pseuds/FuneralOfTheDeadButterflies
Summary: Hod takes a moment to vent to Malkuth.





	Braid

**Author's Note:**

> Just wanted to write a conversation between these two. I want write something more shippy but it ended up...being not quite there? At least, not to me. Maybe I'll try to write something more like that in the future.
> 
> (Also, I'm aware of what the Sephirah really are now. Think of this as an AU where they're cyborgs, or something similar).

“And then she told me she was cancelling the counseling program! Can you believe it?! I really thought I was helping them!”

“Well, maybe it wasn’t as helpful as you thought it was.”

“I doubt it! She just doesn’t like it when we try to make our employees more comfortable!”

“I guess I can’t argue with that.”

Once the energy quota had been met for the day, the Sephirah were more or less free to do ask they pleased. Tonight, Hod vented to Malkuth, while the latter braided the former’s hair.

Hod just couldn’t believe it. So many of her employees seemed happy with the program, and yet Angela was blaming _her_ for what happened to Tiffany!

“I mean, when you think about it, it’s the manager’s own carelessness that gets them killed, right?”

“Don’t let Angela hear you say that.” And yet, Malkuth wasn’t exactly disagreeing with her. Surely, she knew Hod was right.

Awkward silence passed between them for a moment. With her back to Malkuth, Hod couldn’t tell if she was annoying her or not.

“Go on.” Oh, good, she wasn’t.

“I mean, they seemed happy enough. I’m just doing what’s best for them.”

“Hod, I know, but you were prescribing enkephalin to them. Our energy source. The stuff that rusts us from the inside out if we drink it.”

“...I feel like you should be giving Netach this lecture instead of me.”

“I tried, but this isn’t about him right now.”

Hod feels a lecture coming on. She doesn’t want to hear it, but saying that would be rude. So, she bites her tongue.

“Enkephalin is hardly suited even for us to consume. Even if you’re careful, the rust builds up over time. Too much at once, and our systems need to shut down to cope. And who know what’ll happen if one of us goes even beyond that? Just imagine what it’s doing to the organics. It’s a waste.”

Hod feels Malkuth finish the braid with a hair tie at the end. “And even without the enkephalin to dull their senses, this place is still rough on them. Yeah, the manager doesn’t hesitant to throw away their lives, but you have to remember that they’re easy to replace.”

“But they’re people, Malkuth! People with families and dreams!”

“Families they’ll never see again, and dreams that will die with them.”

How could she say that?! Hod’s fingers dig into her thighs, trying to resist the urge to turn around and slap her.

“I just don’t understand why you care so much. You’re way too nice. If I were in your shoes, I’d just ditch the counseling program, and the employees who aren’t tough enough to cope on their own.”

It’s an innocent statement, and deep down, Hod knows it. There’s no malice in Malkuth’s voice, and she’s not mocking her. She legitimately just didn’t get it.

And yet, that statement made something inside Hod burn. For a split second, rage comes to fruition inside her. She’s had enough of this, and she stands up quickly, turning her head as she does so, and just barely registers the feeling of her braid hitting skin, and the soft, whip-like sound that accompanied it.

Then, she looks down. She sees Malkuth, still sitting on the floor, holding the cheek Hod had hit by accident. Her anger diffuses a bit, her thoughts caught somewhere between feeling guilty and feeling as if Malkuth deserved it.

And yet, Malkuth doesn’t look mad. Slowly, she stands up to face Hod. There’s a glint of something in her eyes. Perhaps pity?

..Hod doesn’t want to be pitied. Almost instantly, any anger she had left melts under Malkuth’s kind gaze.

She had hit Malkuth. Even though it was an accident, she still did something bad.

“Hey, don’t look at me like that. It’s okay, I’m not mad.”

“Malkuth, I-I’m sorry,” She trips over her words. “I didn’t mean to, I’m, I just-”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

Malkuth’s really the one who’s too nice here. She forgives people so easily.

Malkuth smiles gently, holding out a hand to Hod. “Let’s just pretend this never happened, alright? You wanna go find Netzach and drink with him for a bit? Real drinks, not enkephalin.”

Hod hesitates for a moment, then lets Malkuth grab her hand and lead her away. There’s no point in dwelling on what just happened. What’s done was done, and they had all the time in the world down here.

Another argument would probably come up soon enough anyways.


End file.
